Fender—best known for its electric guitars—is making a move into the consumer audio market with Bluetooth speakers and headphones.
It’s always interesting to see new consumer products from a brand that has long been a household name in the professional music world. This time it’s Fender, which is launching Bluetooth speakers and headphones under the names ELIE and MIX respectively.
The ELIE speaker range consists of two models: the E6 and E12. Essentially, the choice comes down to higher output power or longer battery life on a single charge. The E6 delivers a maximum output of 60 watts and offers up to 18 hours of playback time. The E12 doubles the output to 120 watts, but provides a slightly shorter playback time of 15 hours on a full charge.
Both models feature low-latency Bluetooth, but also include an XLR/6.35 mm input. Hi-res audio up to 24-bit / 48 kHz is supported, and for those who prefer it there is also a 3.5 mm AUX output. Speakers can be linked in stereo mode, or in multi mode, allowing up to 100 speakers to be connected simultaneously.
MIX
Moving on to the headphones: effectively there is a single model, the MIX (shown above), available in a wide range of colors. Inside are 40 mm graphene drivers, along with active noise cancellation and 360-degree spatial audio. Wired listening via USB-C is possible, as is fully analog listening via a 3.5 mm connection, in addition to standard Bluetooth wireless use. According to Fender, the design is modular, making it easy to replace individual parts.
Pricing is set at $300 for the Fender ELIE E6, $400 for the E12, and $300 for the MIX headphones.